Physician, Heal Thyself

Gordon Brown spoke today to a joint meeting of Congress. Did you notice? Well, exactly. There is one overwhelming reason to take him seriously: he is the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of reasons not to take him seriously. For one, he is massively behind in the polls. For another, his ideas for a ‘Global New Deal,’ with massive stimulus packages for the entire world, are destructive, undemocratic, and wrong.

And then there’s this basic reality, which has gone curiously unremarked in the United States. Brown was for ten years Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the second most powerful figure in the British government. Indeed, for a lot of it, he looked like being the most powerful figure, with Tony Blair occupying No. 10 only by his grace. Being Chancellor, especially with that kind of political clout, is like combining the powers of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury with a good bit of those that belong to the Oval Office, plus a leading seat in the Senate. If any single man is responsible for the state of the British economy today, it’s Gordon Brown. That was his job.

So how is that economy doing? Well, let’s turn to Steve Bundred, the Chief Executive of Britain’s Audit Commission, which provides official and independent assessments of whether public services give value for money:

With the debts of the nationalised and part-nationalised banks now on the public sector balance sheet, the ratio of public sector debt to GDP in the UK exceeds that of Italy and Japan. And it is set to grow much higher. On the basis of the planned levels of borrowing, it could exceed 65 per cent of GDP in 2010-11. And at that scale of indebtedness, the Armageddon scenario most feared by the Treasury – that there will be insufficient lenders to match the planned level of borrowing – begins to look a distinct possibility.

And, just for good measure, Mr. Bundred quotes the pained admission of Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan, at the height of the economic crisis in the mid-1970s:

We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession . . . . I tell you in all candor that that option no longer exists and, in so far as it ever did exist, it only worked on each occasion since the war by injecting a bigger dose of inflation into the economy, followed by a higher level of unemployment as the next step.

Mr. Brown, meet Mr. Callaghan.

So there is a third reason not to take Brown seriously: asking him for advice on how to run an economy is like asking the captain of the Titanic for advice on how to avoid icebergs. Uneasy awareness of that fact may just account for part of the lack of American interest in his visit.

Gordon Brown, the 'in every way unelected Prime Minister', is the last person that anyone sensible ought to be listening to.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer he sold the UK's gold reserve at the lowest price possible; he raided the pension funds leaving a lot of people almost pensionless; and he de-regulated the banks in the wrong way. He has sought to do nothing positive except bolster his own position.

He has been desperate, as a person, to be recognised by the United States and the World (which he bragged that he had saved).

We also cannot ignore obama secretly writing to Russia for help with Iran!!! obama has shown weakness to the Middle East, and what do bullies do when they see weakness? they pick on you that much more. Socialism is bad enough, but can you spell shia law?

Brown sound desperate to get help for his economy crisis and was looking for the chosen messiahs to help him.

Sooner than we think we are to have the World government, is under way already, but it not being told to the American people. The North American Treaty is approved already, but its hushs, hush from the citizens, don't expect for closed borders, is going to be opened border between Mexico, Canada in our country. We are being stabbed in the back. Get informed!

Gordon Brown's "global new deal", I think, is camouflage for another "Communist Manifesto."

Tennessee Lynn, neither shia law nor allah were addressed in our constitution and thats another reason we must preserve our Second Amendment…….a free people do not ask permission to bear arms!!! Another reason this amendment is in place is in case politicians ignore the others!!!

JUST JOINED. THANKS FOR THIS SITE AND THE TALK SHOWS LIKE RUSH,AND THE OTHERS,YOU GET A HEADS UP ABOUT THE OUT COME OF WHAT THE GOV. IS TRYING TO SLIP THROUGH OR SNOWBALL US. YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB KEEPING US INFORMED. GOD BLESS

Brown is a fool, no doubt – Mark (IL) there's no need to have a tea party, you're the most powerful nation on earth remember? Grow up. All you have to do is what you did – ignore and disrespect your closest ally – job done. Whether you agree with Brown and his bunch of leftie cronies or not – and I certainly don't, British troops, as ever, are dying in the heat and dust of Afghanistan to safeguard freedom whilst Barry's new European friends, the French et al are providing a bit of catering support at a safe distance. Obama's leftwing love-in and self satisfied republicans alike should recall; If you can't respect the man, respect the office.

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